Happy Saturday everyone and it’s a fun Saturday of racing around the country and I thought that we would take a look at the races Saratoga and Del Mar. Saratoga has their prep for the Travers on Saturday, and Del Mar has three stakes races, who also has a prep race, the San Diego Handicap, which is a prep for their signature race of the season, the Pacific Classic.
We will look at these races in sequential order today beginning with the Jim Dandy at Saratoga and then the three stakes races at Del Mar. Please check my article on the Del Mar races as well for their featured races.
Saratoga Race 10 – Jim Dandy Stakes (Grade 2)
First, we look at the big race of the day at Saratoga, the Jim Dandy which will be one lap around The Spa. We have some of the names that we followed along the Kentucky Derby trail and a few new shooters here.
Favored in this race is a familiar face to QPW readers in Sierra Leone (#1, 1/1 morning line odds). We know what he does. He will drop back and make a huge move at the end of the race. But he does have the tendency to lug in, which could be a problem in larger fields. But this is only a six-horse field, so he might be able to avoid this behavior today.
The 2 Seize the Grey (6/1 ML) won the Preakness and then threw a clunker in the Belmont at Saratoga. He shocked everyone on the front end in the Preakness and then tired badly three weeks later. He looks like he bounced here, but was that win a product of a muddy track? There is no rain in the forecast today in Saratoga Springs. Can this D. Wayne Lukas horse shock everyone here today?
The 3 Batten Down (5/1 ML) won the Ohio Derby on the front end last month. He will get tested today at Saratoga with some of the big Kentucky Derby trail horses today, but if he wins here today, he could rise toward the top of the male three-year-old list. He did run from off the pace in Keeneland in April which may be the best move here.
The 4 Pony Express (20/1 ML) ships from Santa Anita for this race, and he comes in after breaking his maiden in his third attempt. He gets a major step up here and usually I’d be touting California speed horses, but this is not a Baffert horse.
The 5 Gould’s Gould (15/1 ML) chased Batten Down at Thistledown in the Ohio Derby. He was getting closer as him but Batten Down showed his front running ability. He’s going to be stalking the pace here and might get first run depending on when the other horses move.
The 6 Fierceness (9/5 ML) returns after weakening in the Kentucky Derby after a huge performance in the Florida Derby. He has a good race/bad race pattern here, and when he is good, he’s very good. He was scratched from the Haskell to run here but can he win on the front end here?
For a six-horse field, there is speed in the race, and I’m interested in seeing how the track plays today. But with a shorter field like this, this race could be an anomaly to any track bias that may occur. We know what Sierra Leone is going to do. He will be closing. We know Pony Express will go for the lead, but he won’t be here.
I don’t know what to expect from Seize the Grey. Could be this generation’s Exaggerator and only wins big races on wet tracks? Gould’s Gold is improving but is he good enough here? Does Fierceness try to rate or does he gun for the lead? If the Florida Derby and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fiercenessshows up, he wins. But he is too Jekyll and Hyde for me.
I think Batten Down will rate behind Pony Express and Fierceness. If he wins this, he will be head of the class heading to the Summer Derby. But this has been a strange year for the three-year-olds. I think Sierra Leone closes well, but he will not get to Gould’s Gold who gets by Batten Down in the stretch in a shocker. I’m going 5-3-1-6 and my play is $20 to win on the 5. Good luck everyone!
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